The Blame Game

He was just going to Wal-Mart; simple thing, right? He exited his car and as soon as he did he was hit by a passing motorist. He was taken to a local hospital and remained in a coma for three days. On the fourth day he finally regained consciousness and when he opened his eyes, his loving wife was there beside his bed with a Kleenex dabbing her eyes and in tears. He reached out and grasped her hand and said to her, “You know, Judy, you have always been right by my side. When I was a struggling college student and my grades hit rock bottom you were there. So many times I failed but you were always there with me, encouraging me to keep on trying; to keep looking on what you called “the bright side”. And when I got out of school and went for all of my interviews and failed to get any of those jobs, you stayed right there with me, cutting out more classifieds for me to check on. Finally after two long years I landed a job at a small firm. After another long wait I finally got the chance to handle a big contract, but I blew it because of one little mistake, and yet you were there beside me all the way. Eventually I got another job after being laid off from stocking shelves for over a year, but I never seemed to be promoted and my hard work was never recognized. And so, I remained in the same position from the day I joined the company until now… And, through it all, you were right there by my side.”

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she listened to her husband. “And now I have been in this accident and when I woke up, you were the first person that I see. There is something I would really like to say to you….” She flung herself on the bed to hug her husband, sobbing with emotion. He turned and looked at her and said, “Judy, I think you are just plain bad luck!”

You know brothers and sisters there are people all over the planet that are just like the man in our story. They seek to cast blame on everyone else instead of looking at the real problems of life. You see sometimes, I know it is hard to believe, it is our own fault we are in the situations that we are in. So how do we make the changes in our mind-set that need to be accomplished? The first step in the process is that we need to understand that our attitude makes a big difference in how we view things. We can either appreciate the good we have during our times of adversity, trials, and trouble or we can moan, complain, and blame someone else. The apostle Paul is a great example of someone with a marvelous attitude. Through all of his trials God had been right by his side, but never once did he blame God. Instead, he said. “But I want you to know, brethren that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.” No moaning, no complaining just a marvelous attitude that brought joy to his life and all those who came in contact with him! Paul was like a peeled orange; it not only pleases the one who peels it, but its fragrance pleases everyone that is near it. May Paul’s attitude serve as an example for all of us today as we journey through this life. Remember, it is not what happens to you that spells the difference between victory or defeat; it is how you react to what happens to you that makes all the difference in the world!